The Free State Of Jones Film Analysis

The American civil war was a time of severe devastation. Pinning “brother vs brother”, this war destroyed not only the country’s landscape but also the relationships amongst many. However, from the ashes of this destruction rose heroes willing to fight for what they believed in; freedom. One of these heroes was a man named Newt Knight. Newt was a man who defended his beliefs till the very end, this being said he did not support the beliefs of those for whom he had been forced to fight. With his devout beliefs never ceasing, he managed to flee the constraints of a military draft and form an army of his own to fight for what was truly right. This army consisted of fellow townspeople from Jones county as well as escaped slaves. Their dedication …show more content…
In the case of The Free State of Jones, history was recreated so literally that it was truly awe inspiring. While viewing this film, the audience finds themselves showing empathy from start to finish. From the gore and guts of the battlefield to the loss of a loved one and the motivation to defend your own rights, this film does a remarkable job of placing the viewer quite literally in history. With this being said, film and media also have the potential to skew the viewer 's perspective. In the case of The Free State of Jones, it seems quite obvious that the intent of the film was to place the viewer not only in history but also on Newt Knight’s side fighting against the corrupt confederate …show more content…
Through limitations and segregation, the emancipation of slavery was merely the beginning of the fight for racial equality. Unable to own African Americans as slaves, white supremacists made it their goal to assure African Americans would not achieve equal treatment. As for those that fought for such equality, a horrific fate often awaited. As we saw in the film with the character named Moses, silently fighting for the rights of African Americans was enough reason to be lynched. Lynching during this time was a popular method by which white supremacist groups such as the KKK enforced their role of power as well as instilled fear in those looking to better their means of living as a colored individual. It was such heinous crimes as lynching that led Rachel to regret her pregnancy with Newt’s child. This fear drove her to want to move north and start a new life where her son could live without terror. However, the Knights did not move and instead they remained in Mississippi where Newt put his land in Rachel’s name making her one of the few colored women of the time to own property. It was on this property where they lived out the rest of their days raising their children to be equally strong in their